rlp@cbosgd.UUCP (Bob Platt) (12/31/84)
The purpose of this article is to provide a brief review of German
wines for the novice. I hope this article will be of some assistance
the next time you're in a wine shop staring at the polysyllabic label of
a German wine. In the interest of brevity, I have made a few
simplifications. If there is sufficient interest, I can submit a more
detailed article later.
Germany has very strict labeling laws for it's wines. By learning a
few "buzzwords", a consumer can get a fairly good idea of what (s)he
is buying. Germany is known for it's white wine, especially, wine
made from the Riesling grape. Other varieties include Muller-Thurgau,
and Silvaner. Growing regions include the Mosel and Rhine rivers. These
are distinguished by green and brown bottles respectively (usually!).
By law German white wine is divided into three quality categories:
Tafelwein - or table wine, the lowest category, is wine that
is a blend of several wines, sometimes with the addition of sugar.
Qualitatswein (QbA) - quality wine, is from a particular region
of Germany, and may be sugared.
Qualitatswein mit Pradikat (QmP) - is the highest grade, is not
blended, and must not be sugared.
QmP is sub-divided into additional quality categories. These are based
on the concentration of natural sugar, where sweeter is better (or at
least more expensive). These categories are:
Kabinett - usually fairly dry (low sugar content)
Spatlese - literally "late harvest" - grapes gathered late
in the year, when they have dehydrated, increasing
the sugar content.
Auslese - "selected late harvest" - grapes are individually
selected for high sugar content.
Beerenauslese (BA) - made from dried berries afflicted with
"botrytis cinerea", or "noble rot", a fungus that
absorbs water from the grape concentrating the juices.
Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA) - this incredibly sweet wine is made from
individually selected dried berries afflicted with
noble rot. Be prepared to pay big bucks.
An additional category is "Eiswein" - or "ice wine". Growers who procrastinate
in harvesting (sometimes waiting till January) are sometimes rewarded with
this sweet delicate beverage made from grapes frozen on the vine. The
grapes are quickly crushed before thawing, separating the concentrated juice
from the frozen water.
Finally, vintages ARE important. Three excellent vintages are 1971 (now
fairly expensive), 1976 (still readily available), and 1983 (just coming
onto the market now). I prefer aged Spatlese's and Auslese's, thus I
might drink a '76, and put an '83 into my cellar. BA's and TBA's are best
well aged.
--
+----+ R. L. Platt
/| /| AT&T Bell Laboratories
+-|--+ | Columbus, Ohio
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"Wherever you go, there you are"thomas@utah-gr.UUCP (Spencer W. Thomas) (01/02/85)
Drank a 1971 BA recently - Wow! (I hate to admit what I paid for it,
but it was worth it.) Over Christmas, I found a 1976 BA for only $13
(very cheap, as these things go) -- haven't drunk it yet, so can't say
if it was as good a buy as it appears to be.
The sampling I've had so far of the '83 wines bears out, for me, the
claims for this year. You should be able to find good Kabinetts and
Spaetleses in the $5 - $9 range, Ausleses a little more. Remember - the
Mark is down, the $ is up. Buy now!
--
=Spencer
({ihnp4,decvax}!utah-cs!thomas, thomas@utah-cs.ARPA)
<<< Silly quote of the week >>>bermes@ihu1m.UUCP (Terry Bermes) (01/04/85)
The 1983 German wines look to be very good especially when comparing
them to their 1982 counterparts (very watery wines for the most part).
My wife and I were fortunate enough to get in on a direct order from
Germany which made for some incredible prices. We purchased quite a variety
from Kabinett to Auslese. The finest of the lot was the Oppenheimer Kronnenbrunnen
Auslese. This wine is highly recommended if it can be found.
Terry Bermes
Over the holidays we opened up a bottle of a 1975 TBA from the Oppenheimer
area. This is the nectar of the gods!